TEMPE β Bisbee baseball coach Todd Hammett didnβt think the Pumas played that well in their first playoff game last weekend, but he need not apologize after the quarterfinals.
Fourth-seeded Bisbee exploded for nine runs in a three-inning stretch Friday night to beat No. 5 Eloy Santa Cruz 10-2 in Division V state quarterfinals at Tempe Diablo Baseball Complex.
βI thought we came out and played much better than we did last week,β Hammett said. βWe were a little shaky I think in the first game and we came out calmer today.β
Bisbee faces top-seeded Bagdad in the semifinalsΒ at Maryvale Baseball Complex on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Senior Spencer Schuller threw a complete-game three-hitter with 10 strikeouts to lead the way.
βWhen we get to throw him on the mound and he throws the way he throws, he calms us all down,β Hammett said.
At the plate, Schuller hit an RBI double in the fourth inning, when the Pumas scored four runs to break a 1-1 tie. Bisbee scored two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth.
Schuller said itβs exciting because itβs Bisbeeβs first berth in the semifinals since 2008, when they won the Class 2A state championship.
βIβm just proud of my team coming together and buckling down to score runs and having my back out here,β Schuller said.
The win avenges an 18-8 loss the Pumas suffered to Santa Cruz in Eloy in March.
Hammett said a squeeze play executed by freshman Eduardo Vasquez started the rally in the fourth.
βThe squeeze play just got us all up and going and we started to rally and we just started scoring runs,β Schuller said.
Division III and IV quarterfinal games postponed
Desert Christian, Pueblo and Sahuarita were all scheduled to play in the quarterfinal round of their tournament on Friday but rain forced the Arizona Interscholastic Association to postpone the games.
Now seventh-seeded Sahuarita plays No. 18 Phoenix Northwest Christian at Surprise Sports Complex on Saturday at 11 a.m., in the Division III state quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Desert Christian, the three-time defending champion, plays No. 8 Camp Verde at Goodyear Baseball Comples on Saturday at noon, in the Division IV quarterfinals while No. 7 Pueblo plays No. 2 Glendale Joy Christian at 3 p.m., at the same location.
Because of Friday's delay, the semifinals will also have to moved. They were scheduled to be played Saturday. The championship games for Division III and IV are scheduled for May 14.
POSTSEASON GLANCE
BASEBALL
DIVISION II STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, double-elimination after second round. Winner-take-all championship game)
First-round results
No. 9 Tucson 2, No. 24 Scottsdale Notre Dame 1 (11 innings)
No. 10 Ironwood Ridge 5, No. 23 Mountain View 3
No. 19 Mesa Westwood 7, No. 14 Catalina Foothills 5
No. 21 Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain 8, No. 21 Sierra Vista Buena 2
No. 11 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 9, No. 22 Cienega 3
Second-round results
No. 19 Mesa Westwood 8, No. 3 Salpointe Catholic 7 (8 innings)
No. 6 Canyon del Oro 5, No. 11 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 3
No. 10 Ironwood Ridge 3, No. 7 Sunnyside 1 (8 innings)
No. 9 Tucson 3, No. 8 Buckeye Verrado 1
Third-round results (double elimination)
No. 19 Mesa Westwood 4, No. 6 Canyon del Oro 2
No. 1 Phoenix Thunderbird 4, No. 9 Tucson 2
No. 10 Ironwood Ridge 7, No. 2 Glendale Apollo 3
Winner quarterfinals (double elimination) β Saturday at Maryvale Baseball Park
No. 19 Mesa Westwood vs. No. 10 Ironwood Ridge, 4 p.m.
Loser bracket, first round (single elimination) β Saturday at Maryvale Baseball Park
No. 6 Canyon del Oro vs. No. 2 Glendale Apollo, 1:30 p.m.
No. 9 Tucson vs. No. 4 Phoenix Paradise Valley, 11 a.m.
DIVISION III STATE TOURNAMENT
(32 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 2 Nogales 7, No. 31 Empire 0
No. 7 Sahuarita 4, No. 26 Glendale Cactus 1
No. 17 Payson 8, No. 16 Rio Rico 7
No. 12 Phoenix Washington 8, No. 21 Walden Grove 7
Second-round results
No. 7 Sahuarita 7, No. 10 Maricopa 1
No. 18 Phoenix Northwest Christian 5, No. 2 Nogales 2
Quarterfinals β Saturday at Surprise Baseball Complex
No. 18 Phoenix Northwest Christian vs. No. 7 Sahuarita, 11 a.m.
DIVISION IV STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 12 Catalina 4, No. 21 Flagstaff Northland Prep 2
No. 13 Benson 4, No. 20 Tempe Prep 0
No. 18 Phoenix Valley Christian 9, No. 15 Tanque Verde 3
No. 22 Amphitheater 12, No. 11 Chinle 0
Second-round results
No. 1 Desert Christian 12, No. 17 Morenci 2
No. 7 Pueblo 7, No. 10 Sedona Red Rock 1
No. 5 Yuma Catholic 2, No. 12 Catalina 1
No. 4 Apache Junction 8, No. 13 Benson 7
No. 6 Buckeye 5, No. 22 Amphitheater 0
Quarterfinals β Saturday at Goodyear Baseball Complex
No, 8 Camp Verde vs. No. 1 Desert Christian, noon
No. 7 Pueblo vs. No. 2 Glendale Joy Christian, 3 p.m.
DIVISION V STATE TOURNAMENT
(24 teams, single elimination)
First-round results
No. 10 Elfrida Valley Union 18, No. 23 Sanders Valley 2 (5 innings)
No. 11 St. Augustine Catholic 10, No. 22 Mogollon 0 (5 innings)
No. 9 Kearny Ray 11, No. 24 Tombstone 7
Second-round results
No. 4 Bisbee 12, No. 20 Winterhaven (California) San Pasqual 5
No. 7 Superior 12, No. 10 Elfrida Valley Union 8
No. 6 Miami 11, No. 11 St. Augustine Catholic 1 (5 innings)
Fridayβs quarterfinal results
No. 4 Bisbee 10, No. 5 Eloy Santa Cruz 2
Semifinals β Saturday at Maryvale Baseball Complex
No. 4 Bisbee vs. No. 1 Bagdad, 11 a.m.
